Himachal
Kangra
Places to visit
Top 10 Amazing Facts about Kangra Fort
Planning to visit the historic Kangra fort in Himachal Pradesh? Here are some of the most amazing facts about Kangra fort to help you guide your trip back in time.
1. Kangra fort is as old as Mahabharata
Also known as Bhimkot, Kot Kangra and Nagarkot in the days of the kings and queens, Kangra fort is believed to be one of the oldest forts in the hills. Though the recorded history of the fort goes back to the 11th century, but it is believed to have been constructed by king Susarma Chandra at the end of the epic war of Mahabharata, making this monument at least more than 3000 years old. Susarma’s name figures in the genealogical rolls of Kangra rulers as the 234th ruler of the Kangra or Trigarta dynasty as it was known in the old times.
According to the memoir of Mughal emperor Jahangir, “the fort of Kangra is old and situated north of Lahore in the midst of a mountainous country. It is famous and renowned for its strength, stability and strong fortifications. No one but the God of the whole world knows when it was founded.”
2. The hidden treasures of Kangra fort
Kangra fort used to be a treasure house where unimaginable wealth in the form of gold coins, gold and silver plates, pure gold in ingots, silver bullion and various jewels including pearls, diamonds, corals, rubies etc had been lying buried for centuries till it was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni in the year 1009. In the words of Utbi, the court historian of Ghazni, the fort wealth, “accumulated over the years” was so huge that “the backs of camels would not carry it, nor vessels contain it, nor writers record it or the imagination of an arithmetician conceive it.”
According to Persian historian Firishta, Ghazni had looted 700,000 golden dinars, 700 mans of gold and silver plate, 200 mans of pure gold in ingots, 2000 mans of silver bullion and 20 mans of various jewels including pearls, corals, rubies and diamonds from the Kangra fort. The invading army had also removed the temple idol.
The loot was taken to Gazni and displayed on a carpet spread in his palace.
According to archaeologist Alexander Cunningham, who was the first one to study the history and archaeology of the fort in detail, the treasure was buried in the Kangra fort by rulers of Kabul and not local chiefs. “The genealogical roll of the Indo-Scythian princes of Kabul for 60 generations was found in the fortress of Kangra by Mahmud’s soldiers. The fort of Kangra must have belonged to the Rajas of Kabul for several generations and it was their chief stronghold in which they deposited their treasures after they had been driven from the banks of Indus.”
3. Kangra fort’s secret treasure wells
There are a number of secret wells in the fort. There is a local belief that these wells were used for hiding treasure. According to a local legend, there were 21 treasure wells in the fort. While Mahmud Ghazni is believed to have looted 8 secret wells, the Britishers had found 5 wells when they had seized the fort and that 8 secret wells are still left to be discovered. There are also other wells in the fort, which have been closed, and were used for storing grains and desi ghee.
4. Kangra fort was attacked more than 50 times
Kangra fort once held the symbolic power. It was said that “He who holds the Kangra fort, holds the hills.” During its existence, the Kangra fort has been attacked by various armies more than 50 times. Attracted by Kangra fort’s reputation as being impregnable and tails of its hidden treasures, invaders from Kashmiri Rajas to Ghaznis to Tuglaqs to Moghuls to Gorkhas to Sikhs and Britishers attacked this fort.
After the first recorded capture of the Kangra fort by Mahmud Ghazni in 1009, the fort was attacked by Muhammad Tughlaq in 1337, Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 1361, Khawas Khan, the General of Sher Shah Suri, in 1540, Mughal emperor Akbar in 1556, Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1621, Gorkha army in 1806, Sikh army led by Ranjit Singh in 1809 and British forces in 1846.
5. Kangra fort was impregnable, almost
Kangra fort’s location is such that it made seizing the fort almost impossible for armies. It’s situated on a narrow steep hill in the fork between Manjhi and Ban Ganga rivers. The fort walls run for two miles in circuit. However, according to Cunningham, “the fort’s strength does not lie in its works but in the precipitous cliffs overhanging the two rivers, which on the side of the Ban Gangra rise to a height of about 300 feet.”
Many invaders learned it the hard way. The Gorkha army, led by general Amar Singh Thapa, had attacked the fort in 1806 but failed to invade it even after a siege that lasted for four years. It was believed that Akbar had seized the fort for 10 years during which he built a garden called Ram Bagh and remained there to eat the fruit of a mango tree he had planted. However, according to Cunningham, Akbar’s seize had lasted a year. Firoz Shah Tughlaq’s seize of Kangra fort had also lasted six months and by this time Tughlaq had but lost all hopes of capturing the fort. Luckily for Tughlaq, Raja Rup Chandra, who was holding the fort, had surrendered.
6. Kangra fort and Jahangir’s revenge for a parrot
To ensure the fidelity of hill chiefs, Akbar had initiated the practice of keeping hostages, usually the sons or close relatives of the hill rulers. It is believed that at the beginning of Jahangir’s reign, there were at least 20 young princes kept at the Mughal court and in attendance of the emperor.
One of the young such princes kept as hostage in Delhi was Trilok Chand, the son of Kangra Raja Bidhi Chand. Cunnigham mentions in a report of Archaeological Survey of India (1872) that Prince Trilok Chand grew up with Prince Salim (Jahangir) at the Mughal court in Delhi. Cunningham says that there is a legend that Trilok had a parrot and one day Salim demanded this bird be given to him. But Trilok refused to part with his pet parrot and the legend has it that Salim nursed a life-long grudge against Trilok Chand.
Later, when Jahangir ascended the throne, he led an army against Trilok Chand and seized the Kangra fort. To commemorate Jahangir’s capture of the fort, a gate was built at the fort. It’s called Jahangiri Darwaja.
7. The seven gates of Kangra fort
There are seven different gates in the fort. The first gate is called Maharaja Ranjit Singh Darwaja. This 15-feet high gate was got built by Ranjit Singh after defeating the Gorkhas army in 1809. The second gate is at the end of the courtyard and after which a narrow path leads to the third gate called Aahini Darwaja or the iron gate. The Aahini Darwaja has space for guards and soldiers and gun-points and oil-slots at its front.
The fourth gate is called Amiri Darwaja or the gate of the noblemen and the sixth gate is called Jahangiri Darwaja. After which a narrow path along the fort walls leads to the fifth gate called Andheri Darwaja or the gate of darkness. It’s called so because the entire passage of the gateway used to remain in darkness. Next is the sixth gate called the Darshani Darwaja inside which lies the temple courtyard. The images of goddess Ganga and Yamuna are carved on the Darshani Darwaja.
The last gate, called Mahal Darwaja or the palace gate, used to lead to the king’s palace located at the top of the fort. But today the palace area lies in ruins.
8. The temples of Kangra fort
The remains of three temples exist inside the fort — Lakshmi Narayan, Ambika Mata and Jain temple of Adinath. These temples were damaged in the earthquake of 1905 that had devasted the Kangra valley. What remains today are just the outer walls of these stone structures.
However, in the earthquake the idol of Adinath had remained intact. Kangra fort is an important place of pilgrimage for Jains, who visit it every year in March.
9. Kangra Fort and Alexander the Great
According to Cunningham, there was a local belief that in the year 326 BC when Alexander the Great visited Kangra he left an idol, which was an image of his wife, named Naushaba. The idol was placed in the temple of the Nagarkot and was worshipped by the people.
Some believe that the King Porus, who was defeated by Alexander, belonged to the Kangra kingdom, formerly known as Trigarta or ‘the land of the three rivers.’ Trigarta was also known as Jalandhar doab and ruled by Katoch kings. According to Kangra Gazetteer (1924-25), “it seems possible that Phegeas or Phegaeus, the king of the district beyond Beas that is the Jalandhar Doab, who made his submission to Alexander, was a Katoch.”
10. Kangra fort and the earthquake
Kangra fort, which had withstood numerous invaders for centuries, was finally brought down by an earthquake on April 4, 1905 which had devastated the whole Kangra valley.
The fort ramparts which took months for enemy armies to climb fell to the ground within seconds. The Amiri and Jahangiri Darwaja suffered serios damages. The two most archeologically valuable monuments of the fort — the Laxmi Narayan and Ambika Devi temples — were completely damaged. Similarly, the Andheri and Darshani gates were also damaged.
A few months before the earthquake, two inscribed stones had been moved to the Lahore museum from Kangra fort.
Watch the Kangra fort video
References:
Archaeological Survey of India report (1872-73)
Archaeological Survey of India report (1905-06)
Kangra Gazetteer (1883)
Kangra Gazetteer (1924-25)
